Letter or document file or temporary binder.



No. 650,9si. Y Patented :une 5, |900. w". .1. wATTYEnls.

LETTER 0R DOCUMENT FILE 0R TEMPORARY BINDER.

(Application led July 10, 1899.)

(No Model.)

ZIY Wiley,

WILLIAM J. WATTERS,

`FATENT Fries.-

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 650,961, dated J' une 5, 1900.

Application mea July 1o, 1899.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WATTERS, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have in-v vented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter or Document Files or Temporary Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tothe class of les or document-binders in which impaling-pins for holding documents, bills, letters, dac., in place have one end permanently fixed to one part of the cover and the opposite ends provided with a notch or groove designed to enter holes in the opposite part of the cover for makinga detachable connection therewith. The prior devices of this class, so far as I am informed, do not show means for directing the movement of the detachable part of the cover upon the other part to bring it into position so that the impaling-pins can enter the holes, but require the direction of the hand to effect this result.

It is one of the objects of my improvements to provide means in this class of devices for so controlling the operation of the detachable part that the simple folding of this part upon the other part will cause the impaling-pins to strike and enter the holes and to provide in conjunction therewith means operating automatically for securing thedetachable part to the impaling-pins, means for stopping the movement at the point of engagement,and means for releasing the detachable part.

Another-object is to provide supplementary means for use in connection'with the file as an aid to the impaling-pins in retaining the sheets and also 'for separately holding together a portion of the sheets when it isdesired to; temporarily remove a portion from the file -and replace the same in order to take out and substitute for or add leaves to the others pre. viously inserted.

I attain these object-s by the means illus` trated in VVthe accompanying drawings, Vin Which- Figure l is a perspective .view ofD a file or temporary bind er of the class mentioned containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the cover, taken in the plane 2 2 of Fig. l or plane of the impalingpins. 1 Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail show- Serial No. 723,278. (No model.)

ing a top viewl of the pin-engaging means detached from the cover. Fig. 5 is a detail showing in perspective a perforated separable plate with a pair of supplementary impalingp'lns.

In the drawings, A is the cover, made of cardboard or similar material and having its parts united to a back piece A by ieXible connections or hinges at a a. On the inside of one part of the cover is attached a plate B,

D is a spring-pressed strike-plate having its edges fitted to slide in the Ways c of the plate C. Through the plate C are oblong openings c3, Whose greater diameter is transverse tothe plate, and the strike-plate is vprovided with slots d, having a straight edge d at the end adapted to engage a notch b in the impaling-pins B. The said .impaling-pins are provided with bevel ends, and the points pass through the openings csof the plate C and the slots d of the strike-plate,` the bevel portion h2 of the pins striking the straight edges d and automatically throwing the strike-plate back to allow the notches to enter sufficiently to be engaged by'said straight edges on the recoil of the strike-plate. The outer plate C', striking the extreme end of the impaling-pins,operates as a stop to the further movement. The backpiece turns on its hinge connection with that part of the cover to which the impaling-pins arevpermanently connected to a position perpendicular thereto, and its Width corresponds, substantially,with the length of the impalingpins. The detachable part of the'covermoves on its hinge connection with the back piece, so that the openings c3 are caused to move in an arc coincident with the points of said pins and to strike and pass onto said pins by the mere turning down or closing of this part of the cover. As the impaling-pins are straight, the greater diameter of the openings-in plate C is arranged transverse to the plate in order to secure a free and easy working of said plate on and off of said pins. The spring D', which presses the strike-plate, is ehambered in a recess formed in a projection I)2 of said strikeplate, one end of the spring bearing against the end of the recess and the other end resting` against a pin or stud c", struck up from the plate C. 'lhe projection D2 enters a recess a in the cover and a slot c5 in the plate C', so as to come up flush with the top or outside of said pla-te, and a depression eis formed in said plate to allow a finger to be placed on the end of the projection for the purpose of moving the strike-plate in order to release its engagement with the notches b, and thus unlock the detachable part of the cover from the impaling-pins.

E is a supplemental plate provided with supplemental impaling-pins E', having bevelpoints e', adapted to enter holes e2 in the plate B, but not pass through, the bevel operating as a stop to said pins in said holes. The supplemental plate is provided with holes e3, adapted to pass over the impaling-pins ll, and when the points e enter the holes e2 the supplemental plate is thereby stopped sufficiently below the catch-points of the notches b to allow the strike-plate to make engagement therewith. It therefore operates as a supplement to the plate C' in stopping the cover aginst movement beyond the point of locking engagement with the impaling-pins B', and its pins E supplement the said pins B' in holding the sheets or leaves within the covers. It also aids in holding the covers apart and in their relative position to one another.

The file thus constructed is adapted and intended to be used with the supplemental plate as a temporary binder, in which sheets may be taken out and replaced by others, or additional sheets may be inserted between others previously inserted, or to be used, if desired, without the supplemental plate as a general document or letter file in which the sheets are to remain and which does not require any special means for their ready removal. IVhen used with the supplemental plate,the sheets orleaves F before being placed in the file have their rear margins uniformly perforated with holes corresponding in size and position with the impaling-pins B and E, and to place the sheets in, the cover is unlocked and turned back free from said pins B'. Then the supplemental plate is lifted off and the outermost perforations of the sheet or sheets are slipped over said pins B'. Then the supplemental plate is put on, its pins E entering the inner perforations and stopping in the holes @zand its holes e3 passing over the pins B', as stated. When it is desired to take out a sheet or sheets and substitute others in the same place, the cover is unlocked from the pins B' and turned back, as before. The body of leaves is then separated at the place Where the sheet or sheets are to be taken out and substituted by others, and the separated portion toward the free ends of the pins B' is temporarily removed, along with the supplemental plate, with its pins E/ remaining in the perforations of the temporarily-removed portions in order to hold the several sheets thereof together as a body and prevent them from slipping so out of place that their perforation would not register. The portion thus temporarily removed is heldrintact with the supplemental plate and can readily be replaced in the file in a body or as one sheet with the supplemental plate after the substitute sheets are put in.

Vhen used as a general document or letter file, the supplemental plate E,with its pins E', may be emitted altogether. The thickness of the plates C, C', D, and E as represented in the drawings is exaggerated with regard to the proportionate thickness of the cover A for the purpose of elearness of illustration. The combined thickness of these several plates in the Working device may be made much less than the thickness of the cover.

What I claim is- ,1. In a file or binder of the class described, a cover composed of opposite folding parts, a back piece hinged at its opposite edges to corresponding parts of the cover, a pair of impaling-pins having one end permanently fixed to one part of the cover and the other end provided with a bevel-point and an engaging notch, a sliding, spring-pressed strike-plate on the corresponding opposite side of the cover adapted to engage automatically the notches of the impaling-pins and means for stopping the movement at the point of engagement as specified.

2. In a file or binder of the class described a cover composed of opposite folding parts, a back piece hinged at its opposite edges to corresponding parts of the cover, a pair of impaling-pinshaving one end permanently fixed to one part of the cover and the other end provided with a bevel-point and an engaging notch, a sliding spring-pressed strike-plate on the corresponding other part of the cover and adapted to engage automatically the notches of the impaling-pins, means for stop ping the movement at the point of engagement and means for moving the strike-plate against the spring action for releasing the engagement as specified.

3. In a file or binder of the class described a cover composed of opposite folding parts, a back piece hinged at its opposite edges to corresponding parts of the cover, a pair of impaling-pins having one end permanently fixed to one part of the cover and the other end provided with a bevel-point and an engaging notch, a sliding spring-pressed strike-plate mounted on the inner side of the other corresponding part of the cover and adapted to engage automatically the notches of the impaling-pins, means for stopping the m0ve ment at the point of engagement and a finger-piece fixed to the strike-plate and project- IOO IIO

the impaling-pins and a supplemental plate provided with perforations adapted to pass over the points ofthe impaling-pins and a pair of supplemental impaling-pins adapted to impinge that side of the cover to which the impaiing-pins are permanently xed as specified.

WVILLIAM J. WATTERS;

Witnesses: v

WALTER- VAN SANDS, ANNIE M. ADAMS. 

